1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a document feeder used for a printer.
2. Related Art
It is advantageous for a unit on which recording sheets are stacked to be provided under a recording/writing unit, and to thus reduce the installation space required for an apparatus. However, with this arrangement, a path along which recording sheets are fed must have a U shape. In addition, overlapping recording sheets, such as labels or envelopes, may be raised due to a difference in the curvatures of an interior sheet and an exterior sheet. Or, the delivery resistance engendered by strong recording sheets may increase and the accuracy in the feeding of recording sheets differ between that for those fed automatically and that for those fed manually, from outside the printer, via a horizontal paper transportation path, with different print qualities being provided.
An apparatus where a plurality of types of recording sheet stackers in different sizes are located under a recording/writing unit is also employed as means for reducing installment space. In this apparatus, however, a difference in height appears at a portion where individual U-shaped paper guides are connected or at a portion where individual paper transportation paths meet. Therefore, when a thick recording sheet passes through these portions, due to the thickness of the sheet a flipping sound is generated, or a pressing force is exerted in the feeding direction, so that the recording/writing operation is adversely affected.